This volume documents the public diplomacy efforts of the John F. Kennedy
administration. A major emphasis of the volume is the role the United States
Information Agency (USIA), led by Edward R. Murrow during this period, played in
presenting U.S. foreign policy objectives to the world during a time of social
change within the United States. The volume illustrates how USIA and the
Department of State pursued public diplomacy against the backdrop of crises,
including the Bay of Pigs invasion, the construction of the Berlin Wall, Laos,
Vietnam, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Additional documentation chronicles the
Kennedy administration’s attempts to develop a national cultural policy, the
importance of overseas polling, and the Department of State’s educational
exchange activities.